Friday, July 29, 2005

WMAL, a local radio station here in DC, the local Himbaugh/Lannity organ, just suspended some fool named Michael Graham " for repeatedly describing Islam as a "terrorist organization" on his program."

Graham, 42, said on his mid-morning program on Monday that the fault for recent acts of terrorism lies not with Islamic radicals alone but also with Muslims generally because religious leaders and followers have tacitly supported extreme elements. "The problem is not extremism," Graham told listeners. "The problem is Islam." He also said, "We are at war with a terrorist organization named Islam."

I've never listened to Michael Graham, and, if and when his suspension is rescinded, I won't, but this dope does provide an opportunity to bash the morons who insist on misunderstanding the nature and the motivations of those who are committing what I think we can all call acts of terrorism.

I'm not going to; bash that is: I mean, you know. But this does give an opportunity to post two articles that offer convincing arguments that those I've chosen not to bash deserve to be bashed (just not on a Friday afternoon when I'm suffering a bout of outrage-fatigue).

The first, a transcript from Monday's Newshour with Lehrer, is an interview with Prof Samer Shehata from Georgetown (disclaimer: I work at Georgetown and know Prof Shehata, albeit very casually) and Michael Scheuer, a former head of the CIA's Bin Laden unit).

Read both and then ask yourself: as long as a significant number of Americans believe Michael Graham's analysis of the war on terror is more accurate than the analysis of Shehata and Scheuer and Rodenbeck, what hope for any outcome other than more terror (from both sides) is possible?